Broccoli Paneer Parathas (Indian flatbread with broccoli and cottage cheese)

Parathas are a norm for breakfast in most Indian households of North India. Parathas are Indian flatbreads rolled out from a wheat flour dough and shallow fried on both sides on a Tava / Griddle  with very little oil. They are healthy and if one prepares it with various vegetable stuffings it becomes a nutritious one-pot meal wherein no side-dish is required and the parathas can be just relished with a cup of yogurt or pickle.

Last weekend I thought I would prepare Parathas using broccoli and paneer. Broccoli is a superfood and is considered as one of world’s healthiest foods. More than often, as a loving mother that I am!…I find such parathas a good way for sneaking vegetables into my child’s meal. But I don’t need to play the hide-and-seek game when it’s broccoli! Apparently the only vegetable DD loves is BROCCOLI! 🙂 So when I make this dish, I can proudly call out to her and literally declare “I am making broccoli parathas for you sweetie!!”….and the reaction I get is “Yayyyyy!!”

This time round, I thought I would add paneer / cottage cheese into the broccoli mix, which obviously adds on to the taste and texture of the parathas. Instead of stuffing the mixture, I kneaded it along with the dough. These Broccoli Paneer parathas are delicious, nutritious and a delight to have with a bowl of yogurt and pickle.

Ingredients:

For the dough – 

Wheat flour – 1 cup

All purpose flour / Maida -1 cup

Yogurt – 2 tsp

Salt – as per taste

For the broccoli paneer mix –

Broccoli – 1 head

Paneer cubes – 1/2 cup

Cumin seeds – 1 tsp

Ginger-garlic paste – 1 tbsp

Hing / asafoetida – 1 tsp

Red chilli powder – 1 tsp

Amchoor / mango powder – 1 tsp

Garam masala powder – 1 tsp

Green chillies – chopped (optional)

Coriander leaves – chopped finely

Salt – as per taste

Method:

Grate the broccoli. Crumble / grate the paneer.

Take some oil in a pan.

Add cumin seeds, hing and chopped green chillies. Stir fry for a few seconds.

Then add the ginger-garlic paste. Saute for 2-3 mins or until the raw smell is gone.

Add the grated broccoli. Add in the red chilli powder, garam masala powder and amchoor powder. Mix well. Cover and cook for 4-5 mins.

After 5 mins, remove the lid. Add the grated paneer, salt and chopped coriander leaves. Saute for 2 mins until everything is well mixed and the mixture is completely dry.

Let this mixture cool down for a while.

Make the dough. Take whole wheat flour and maida. (You can use only wheat flour and skip out on the maida). Add salt and mix well.

Then add the yogurt and the broccoli paneer mix that we prepared earlier. Add little water at a time. Mix well, knead and prepare a dough. Cover and let the dough rest for 15 mins.

Make small equal shaped balls out of the dough.

Dust each side of the ball with some flour.

Roll out the dough ball into a round shaped disc with uniform thickness throughout. Dip back into the flour if the paratha starts to stick to the surface as you’re rolling.

Take a hot griddle and cook both sides of the paratha for about 2 mins on each side. Drizzle a tsp of oil on each side. Cook on both sides and gently press the parathas with the back of a spatula until they slightly puff up.

If you are serving them later, store the parathas in air-tight casseroles.

Serve Broccoli Paneer parathas along with some pickle and yogurt for a delicious breakfast or a daytime meal.

 

 

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